The invention relates to apparatus for the wet processing of photographic emulsion carriers, of the type including a wash-water tank and also a drier, within which latter the emulsion carrier is contacted by warm air.
With apparatus of the type in question, it is well known to discharge the exhaust air from the drier via a chimney or the like into the ambient atmosphere. It has also been proposed that, to make use of the heat energy of the exhaust air from the drier, such exhaust air be passed through a heat exchanger serving to preheat the fresh water continually needed for the washing unit of the apparatus. The exhaust air leaving the heat exchanger is then, likewise, discharged to atmosphere via a chimney. In either case, means must be provided for conveying exhaust air from the drier away from the apparatus without discharging such air into the room in which the processing apparatus is situated. Also, when such apparatus is provided with a chimney for discharge of the drier-unit air, the installation tends to become rather noisy during operation.